Phone Diaries
by Desertfyre
Summary: Takes place shortly after 6.16: ATTWN but before 6.17. A random phone call on Sam's phone prompts thoughts of the past and a look at the present. And maybe a little treat for the future.


Disclaimer:  I LOVE the Winchesters; I really do. But no matter my love, I do not own them. Honor belongs to Eric Kripke and Co.

A.N:  Was re-watching the episode and even after it first aired I wanted to do something with the fact that in Sam's phone, Dean was listed as simply D. I adored that! This sorta stemmed from that and the rest sorta worked itself in. So I hope you all enjoy this little one-shot!

Summary:  Takes place shortly after 6.16: ATTWN but before 6.17. A random phone call on Sam's phone prompts thoughts of the past and a look at the present. And maybe a little treat for the future.

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><p>Dean was currently lying prostrate on the long bench staring up at the cloudless sky. "I think it's might be getting ready to rain or something." He murmured to himself.<p>

It was a pretty nice day for March. It must have been one of those heat waves passing through as the day was quite warm and found the Winchester brothers sitting at a picnic table in a random park somewhere in the continental USA. After their last hunt with that strange worm thing and losing so many at a time, the brothers need a hot minute of a break. And the close call with Bobby was still whirling throughout their minds. Both of them had hovered over Bobby for all but a day and half before the old man practically threw them out of his house.

Apparently, he would be fine, and Dean thought that Bobby probably wanted some space to himself which Dean understood. He still felt bad about Rufus, he was a great guy. Even still, the brothers still felt the need to have a mini-break.

So, they decided to stop to stretch their legs and enjoy the heat wave. Currently though, Sam had gone to the restroom that was open in the park.

Well, they might have opened the restroom for their own use.

Suddenly a ringtone resounded in the air and Dean had to blink and sit up looking for the source. He eyed Sam's phone that was ringing and he saw it lightening up. He blinked at it, trying to decide if he should answer it. He couldn't help but get thrown back to almost three and a half years ago when Sam wouldn't dare leave his phone anywhere near him. He was always secretive but what would he have to hide now? Granted, Dean hadn't really answered Sam's phone or touch it for that matter, never particularly having reason to do so. He didn't think that Sam would care about him answering his phone anymore.

At least he didn't think so.

Dean briefly remembered him snooping around Sam's phone when it rung. He winced and put it out of his mind as he picked up the phone looking at the caller ID. It didn't seem like a number he recognized.

Plus it could be important so with a sigh and a look around to see that Sam wasn't coming back any time soon, he picked up the phone, lying back down on the bench as he answered it, "Hello?"

There was a brief silence on the other end before the caller asked, "Is this Christian?"

"No. Who is this?" Dean closed his eyes.

Another pause, "Would Samuel Campbell be around then?"

That name made Dean twitch involuntarily. He was dead….again. The only thing that Dean regretted was that he wasn't the one to pull the trigger. But like he'd tell whoever this was.

"No. Who is this?" he asked again his voice a little bit more stern.

"Sorry, wrong number." Click.

Dean pulled the phone away and looked at it. He stared at it a good moment when it started to ring again. With an annoyed sigh, he answered it again, "Yeah? Hello?"

"Dang!" came the same voice as he recognized Dean's voice from a few seconds past.

"Seriously, if you aren't going to tell me who this is, I'd appreciate it if you didn't call again."

"Ok, ok, sorry. I'm just trying to get in-touch with the Campbells."

"They aren't available." Plus that would be a very long distance call if this caller wanted to talk to them. Dean chuckled under his breath. But he didn't tell the caller that.

"Would a Sam Campbell be around?" ask the caller.

Dean raised his eyebrow, "You already asked about Samuel. I told you he isn't here."

"No, I mean, another man named Sam. Just Sam. Sam Campbell, I think his name is."

Dean cracked his eyes open. He didn't know a Sam Campbell. "No."

The caller sighed and hung up without a proper goodbye. Dean once more looked at the phone in disbelief, before he went to press the recall button to give the guy a piece of his mind, when the phone all of a sudden started ringing again.

"For the love of…." Dean murmured before receiving the call and snapping, "What man, what!"

At that time Sam came out of the bathroom and was sliding back into his seat. "Who is that?" he asked softly. Dean shrugged, and couldn't help but notice that Sam didn't seem to care that he was on his phone. Sam held out his hand, making Dean sit up and hand his brother his phone.

"Hello?" Sam asked.

"Who are you?"

"Who are you?"

The caller sighed, "I'm looking for the Campbells."

"The Campbells?"

"Yes, Christian, Samuel, Sam. I'll take Gwen at the moment."

"And to whom am I speaking to?"

"I only wish to talk to any of the named."

"Then we are at a stalemate. I'm not telling you anything unless you give me a reason to tell you."

The caller sighed, "Sorry to bother you."

"Please don't call this number anymore."

The caller didn't say anything as he hung up. Sam pulled the phone away and muttered, "Goodbye, to you as well."

"Still allergic to a proper good-bye, huh?" asked Dean.

"Yeah."

Dean ventured carefully, old memories cropping up when he didn't ask for them, "Um….recognize the voice?"

Sam glanced at him, "No and if I do, I don't remember that I do."

Dean nodded slowly then asked after a good second, "I know all the listed but Sam Campbell? Who is that?"

Sam shrugged, "If I had to guess it was probably me."

Dean raised an eyebrow, "How do you figure?"

"Well, my name is Sam and we are kin to the Campbells. I'm not sure if I was ever introduced as Sam Campbell instead of Sam Winchester." Sam glanced at Dean.

Dean had this look on his face like he was mentally strangling one of the Campbells, and Sam was pretty sure he knew which one, in his head. Sam looked back at his phone and starting pressing buttons.

"May I ask what you're doing, Sam?" Dean asked noticing Sam's movements.

"Reminds me, I should clean out my phone."

Dean raised an eyebrow, "Cleaning out your phone? What needs cleaning?"

"Well, some of the numbers I don't need to call anymore. I've been meaning to clean it out but haven't gotten around to it lately."

Dean ventured, "What kind of numbers?" Then he grinned, "Are they number of girls? Any you can hook me up with?"

Sam gave him that look making Dean laugh. Sam shook his head and look back at his phone, "No, moron."

"Then who are they?" Dean asked leaning forward trying to peer at the screen.

Sam gave him an amused look as he snatched his phone away, "Aren't we nosy today?"

Dean pouted slightly, "I'm just curious."

Sam cocked his head as un-bidding thoughts of the past came into his head. He remembered a similar situation almost three years ago:

_Sam's phone rung and Dean looked at it. Sam wasn't available and his phone was ringing. So without much thought he picked it up and answered it, "Hello?" _

_There was a pause and then a click. _

_Dean set the phone down and stared at it. A few minutes later it rung again and he answered it, "Hello?" _

_He heard breathing on the other end but nothing. So he said, "Look, if you aren't going to say something, please do me the favor of not calling." He ended the call and put the phone down just as Sam came back. _

_Sam looked at Dean. "What…..were you doing with my phone?" he asked. _

_Dean glanced at him, "It rung. You weren't around so I answered it." _

"_Don't remember telling you to answer it." _

"_Why can't I answer it? We've answered each other's phones before, what's the big deal?" _

_Sam looked at him disapprovingly as he picked up his phone just as it rung again. This time it was Sam who answered, "Yes." _

_Dean listened to the one-sided conversation that lasted all of thirty seconds. For some reason he got the sense it was code talk. Sam ended the call and slipped the phone back into his pocket. _

"_Who was it?" asked Dean. _

"_No one important." _

"_A thirty second convo seems important." _

_Sam glared at him, "Aren't you being nosy? What is this 1984?" _

"_I'm just asking." Dean all but snapped. _

"_Mind your business, please." Sam stated. _

Sam couldn't help but lower his head at the thought.

"Hey, hey, Sam!"

His name being called finally snapped Sam out of it as he look sideways at Dean, "Yea?"

"You okay?" Dean asked concerned almost standing on his knees on the bench, "You….you check out on me. Was it….hell?"

Sam gave a reassuring smile and shook his head, "No. No. I'm just…..I had a moment." He laughed once.

"What kind? Was it hell?" Dean pressed.

Sam shook his head, "Not hell. Just….memories of a long….very long time ago." He looked back at his phone.

Dean couldn't quite shake the mother-hen mode he was in at the moment as he asked, "What kind?"

Sam sighed and it was a moment before he answered, which wasn't fast enough for Dean as he snapped his fingers and cried, "Sam!"

"Calm down, Dean! Good grief. It was just….the last time I asked if you were nosy about something to do with my phone it wasn't pretty."

Dean blinked and couldn't help but asked, "Is that it?" He reached over and smacked Sam upside the head making his younger brother laugh once, "It's not funny Sam. I spent a minute of my life worrying and you were down a trip of regressed memory lane that had nothing to do with hell?"

Sam looked apologetic, "Sorry, Dean."

Dean just gave a small sigh, "Its past. Remember what I said, blanket apology for all the crap that was pulled. I'm done with it and so should you."

"Doesn't mean we don't think about it." Sam murmured uncomfortably.

Dean had to concede the point and nod, "I know. But it's over. I'm not gonna rehash this." He gave a small smile, "Besides, you don't want to tell me things, fine, but I trust that you know when not to keep it to yourself."

Sam gave a small grin, "Yea. Here catch."

Dean reflexes were fast as he blinked as he caught, Sam's phone, "What you give me this for?"

Sam grin widen, "Well, I figure you deserve to be nosy for half a second."

Dean couldn't help the small chuckle as he knew it was a over-due peace offering in the making as he looked at the phone directory, "You got all the Campbells in here." He couldn't help the twitch again.

Sam laughed once, "Why when you see or hear the word Campbell you twitch, like so", he gestured to his older brother as he twitched again, "Remind me not to serve you Campbell soup when you are sick!"

Dean made a face at Sam before speaking, "I just can't believe that old man! He was gonna sell us out, just to get his daughter back. I mean I understand that. I wish mom was here as well, but what did he plan to say to her when she came back and found out what he had done."

Sam shrugged, "He might not have thought that far ahead."

"No kidding", Dean stated dryly, "Too bad I wasn't able to live up to my promise." Here he glared at Sam.

Sam looked guilty, "I still can't believe I shot him myself."

"Please don't tell me, you're guilty over that!" cried Dean.

Sam gave a sigh, "I can't help it. No matter what he was our grandfather."

Dean snorted, "In name and blood only, I assure you. He did nothing else to warrant us calling him that."

"Dean..."

"No. Like I said before. Mom would say, that just 'cause you're blood doesn't make you family. You got to earn that."

Sam gave a small sigh, "I know what you said mom would say, it's just...being family should have accounted for something by itself."

Dean gave a shrug, "Depending on who that person is or people involved."

Sam gave a short smile, "Maybe..."

Dean looked back at the phone and ventured slowly, "You gonna get rid of their numbers?"

"Well, I don't see why the point in keeping them." Sam gave a lopsided grin, "Not like they can call." Then he asked jerking his head to the phone, "You wanna do the honors?"

Dean over-dramatized his surprised, "Me? You'd let me delete them?"

Sam held up his fist once, "Go for it."

Laughing gleefully, Dean proceeded to delete the Campbell's names. Sam's was barely holding back the laughter at how much fun Dean was having in deleting names from a phone. "Never knew that deleting numbers was a cause of celebration", chuckled Sam.

Dean didn't look up from the phone, "It is when you didn't get to pull the trigger when you said you would."

Silence floated for a bit as Dean was happily deleting the numbers out.

But he didn't see his name.

It was starting to disturbed him, although he didn't know why, until he got to a something that distracted him. He frowned.

"What?" Sam asked.

"Whose D.?" Dean asked his thumb hovering over the button in case he needed to delete it was well.

Sam couldn't help the laugh.

Dean looked at him with a frown, "What?"

"Think about it. It'll come to you." Sam choked out between laughs.

Dean looked back at the letter and blinked.

"Deeeann", Sam drawled his name.

And suddenly it hit him, making him blush. He looked shyly at his younger brother. He couldn't help the small smile, "Me?"

"Of course! Who else?"

"And, when did my name become just a letter?" Dean grinned.

Then Sam looked guilty for the second time that day.

"What?" Dean cocked his head.

"I had to put in your number after my soul was put back." He lowered his gaze.

"What…RoboSam didn't have my number in here?" Dean felt disappointment flood through him though part of him wouldn't have been surprised.

"Well, it's not so much the number I had to put in, as change what wasn't there."

Dean was confused, "Wha?"

Sam took a breath rubbing a hand over his forehead once, "Apparently, RoboSam didn't even bother to type your name or otherwise."

Dean as still confused, "Huh?"

"I looked at my phone and it was nothing but random letters. I didn't even know who it was until I looked at the number. So I had to change the gibberish to just D."

Dean couldn't help the twitch, "Gee, I can really feel the love of RoboSam." This was another instant in which he was so glad he fought so hard to get Sam's soul back.

Sam got that kick-puppy look again, "I'm sorry, Dean. I must…."

"Ahh-hhh" Dean raised an hand glaring at Sam, "We talked about this, remember?"

Sam intoned, "RoboSam was not me."

"Get it right."

Sam couldn't help the smile, "He must…." He chuckled once at Dean's nod before continuing, "He must have gotten your number when both of you were starting back to hunting together. He didn't bother to take the time to type your name like the others."

"Again, the love is suffocating", Dean stated wryly scrolling through the rest of Sam's phone book, which was vastly shorter now that the Campbells names we erased.

"Yea….it is." Sam murmured, making Dean look up at him.

"Sam. It wasn't you. Let it go. I don't give two cents about what RoboSam did. I mean this is the same guy that…..hm" Dean stopped suddenly, not sure if Sam remembered and if he didn't, he didn't want Sam to know.

"What?" asked Sam, making Dean shake his head and give Sam back his phone.

Without looking at the phone as he set it aside, his eyes still trained on his brother he pressed, "Dean? What is it?"

"Nothing." Dean wouldn't meet Sam's eyes as he re-situated himself back on the bench looking up at the sky. He closed his eyes.

Sam sighed and leaned on the table, tugging his legs underneath him, his knees on the bench. "Deeeean." His voice came out a drawl once more.

Dean sighed, opened his eyes and looked at Sam, "I don't know if you remember and if you don't, I'm not gonna be the one to remind you."

"Come on, what is it?" Sam wouldn't let this go.

Dean rolled his eyes before answering, his voice soft, "He told me point blank that he didn't even really care about anything, much less me."

Sam's eyes grew soft and misty, "What?"

"Ironically, we were sitting at a picnic bench after a case and he told me he didn't care about anything. Didn't even really care about me. So I'm not completely surprised that he didn't take a few extra seconds to type my name." Dean shrugged but Sam could see clearly the hurt behind those memories.

"I'm sooooo…..sorry."

"Sam!" Dean sat up making Sam sit back down properly, "It wasn't you. I'm not gonna have you take responsibility for what that douche said or did."

"But you can't deny…."

"Yes I can and I will and I do. Listen to me, Sam. Let. It. Go."

Sam studied Dean closely willing Dean to believe his next words, "I would never say something like. I never even thought of that even years past during...that time, you know?"

Dean didn't break eye-contact with Sam as he replied,"I know."

Sam nodded slowly, but Dean could still he was wrestling over the new information. "Sam, quit thinking so hard, you are bringing a brother down. And I can hear it."

This made Sam laugh once, "Yeah. Sorry." Then he frowned and looked Dean, "So you okay with just D.? I mean I'll take the extra seconds and type your full name if it makes you feel better." He was already reaching for his phone when Dean beat him and took it instead.

"No, Sam, besides, it's kinda….cool."

Sam chuckled.

Dean handed Sam his phone,"Hippe, but cool."

"Shut up!"

Dean chuckled once before getting out his phone and fumbling with it.

"What are you doing?" Sam asked curiously.

Dean didn't say anything. It was a few seconds before Dean showed him. Sam would swear he near melted as he looked at the screen.

In Dean's phone he had changed Sam's name to simply, S.

There was nothing more to be said after that as they just enjoyed the rest of the time there.

**Fin. **


End file.
